Africa-Press – Kenya. Interior CS Fred Matiang’i on Monday made an impromptu visit of the Immigration department at Nyayo House to monitor the progress of the recently launched Rapid Result Initiative.
The RRI program which was launched on May 26, seeks to speed up the process of giving citizenship and permanent residency to deserving individuals.
“After receiving a debrief from the Immigration Department Director General, Alexander Muteshi and testimonials from residents and non-residents today, he (Matiang’i) expressed satisfaction at the level of service delivery and transformation in the Immigration department,” a statement from the Interior ministry read.
Matiang’i launched a 60-day rapid results initiative programme to clear the backlog and set the stage for speedy processing and issuance of these documents.
“Being a stateless person denies you documents of identity such as national ID cards and passports, without which you miss opportunity for education and gainful employment. During this RRI Programme, applications for citizenship for this category will be expedited,” the CS said.
The RRI programme began on June 2 and run for two months ending on July 31, 2021.
CS Matiang’i said that so far, more than 25,000 applications are pending at the Immigration offices.
Through the programme, thousands of Kenyans who lost their citizenship under the old Constitution will now regain their status in a new drive.
Matiang’i said Kenya is keen to reunite families as most of these Kenyans have to apply for visas and cannot engage in gainful employment unless they are issued with permits and passes.
“They apply for visas and cannot engage in gainful employment unless they are issued with permits and passes,” he said.
He added that he had also written to the Attorney General to simplify the application process.
